Month: August 2017

This follows the story of Iso, a young Guatemalan fertility clinic worker. After an affair with one of the doctors, whose life changes after an accident, Iso finds herself pregnant. Her lover is back in the US with his wife. It is when Iso has given birth to her daughter that this story takes a change, her child is abducted and she knows who took her. She makes the decision to take her daughter back at all costs.

This is a very simply written story, but very effective. Iso is a very determined character with her heart and mind-set on one thing, her daughter. For me the author has tentatively gone into illegal border crossings, illegal immigration and exploitation, but the story is not about these issues, it is about a young girl. I found this simplistic approach kept the story moving and didn’t get bogged down in the politics.

I would recommend to readers of crime/ mystery, it does border on thriller occasionally, but this is a story about a young girls journey of determination. It is a quiet story rather than the blood and guns, guns blazing one. A simple story, simply told but very profound.

I would like to thank Duckworth Publishers for my copy of this book. My thoughts are unbiased, honest and my own.

Synopsis

Íso Perdido, a young Guatemalan woman, works at a fertility clinic at Ixchel, named for the Mayan goddess of creation and destruction. Íso tends to the rich women who visit the clinic for the supposed conception-enhancing properties of the local lake. She is also the lover of Dr. Mann, the American doctor in residence. When an accident forces the doctor to leave Guatemala abruptly, Íso is abandoned, pregnant. After the birth, tended to by the manager of the clinic, the baby disappears.

Determined to reclaim her daughter, Íso follows a trail north, eventually crossing illegally into a United States where the rich live in safe zones, walled away from the indigent masses. Traveling without documentation, and with little money, Íso must penetrate this world, and in this place of menace and shifting boundaries, she must determine who she can trust and how much, aware that she might lose her daughter forever.

In David Bergen’s Stranger, with its uncanny lake, human monsters, and a stolen child, an ageless story is freshly recast in a modern setting, where themes of dislocation and disruption, exploitation and vulnerability, rich and poor collide. Intense and beautifully rendered, Stranger is a powerful and affecting novel for our times.

About the Author

Born in Port Edward, British Columbia, author David Bergen worked as a writer and high school English teacher in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before gaining a great deal of recognition in Canada when his novel The Time In Between won the 2005 Scotiabank Giller Prize, one of Canada’s most prestigious literary awards. The novel also received a starred review in Kirkus Reviews and was longlisted for the 2007 IMPAC Award.

Bergen’s debut novel, A Year of Lesser, was a New York Times Notable Book, and a winner of the McNally Robinson Book of the Year award in 1997. His 2002 novel The Case of Lena S. was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for English language fiction, and won the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award. It was also a finalist for the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award and the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction.

Additionally, Bergen has received the 1993 John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer, and the 2000 Canadian Literary Award for Short Story.

In 2008, he published his fifth novel, The Retreat, which was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and which won the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award and the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction.

Like this:

This is the next instalment from Hiller and his Detective Cadillac Holland series. (I have included links below, for reviews of the previous books.) Again Hiller uses the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as the back drop to this story, and it plays an important role in his stories. This one has a different angle for Cadillac to deal with, it is based around the Lower 9th ward of New Orleans. Developers are hovering like wolves to buy up land and homes to make a profit, some actually are doing this for the communities and other are aiming to price out the poorer families. The are various ways this can be done, as Cadillac soon finds out, as he his handed a case to look into. Nothing is actually illegal, but it is unethical. He has the help of his sister Tulip and also a family friend Kate, the team soon discover the various ways in which realty developers work, the ways property can be “flipped” and how underhanded people can be when money is involved, especially when a local man is arrested for a drugs offence.

There is something about the way this author writes that I really like, there is no flowery unnecessary extras or dramas, I think it is his almost matter of fact style that I like most, he gives all the information in a very clear, concise way, incorporating various plot twists along the way, making really great reading. Given the topic of property deals and property development, Hiller has managed to break them down into basic and manageable terminology without loosing any thread of the story. I think this is where his style of writing works really well, he has taken what he needs without going into information overload, but kept the details in layman’s terms. The information is given by his characters as they learn the facts of the case and this makes it very readable. Hiller has shown how people are vulnerable and can so easily be taken advantage of, and how they could be seen as easy targets, but he also shows how they have strength when they are a community. He has developed his characters very well, and also added more details to the main characters from previous books, this ongoing development I really like. The pacing of the story changes according to the situation and suits the various scenarios. This is a not a blood and guts crime/mystery story, it is a well thought out and well laid out book, keeping me turning pages from start to finish. At the time of writing this, there is only one more book to go, I am really hoping that there will be more.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to the author for my copy of this book, my thoughts and review are my own and are honest and unbiased.

Description

Louisiana State Police Detective Cooter Holland’s sense of justice tends to come with unintended consequences. NOPD’s Chief of Detectives wants to know who is trying to buy the new home the Make It Right Foundation built for his favorite sous chef. The Lower Ninth Ward has suddenly become the hottest place to build a house in New Orleans. The ideas the city’s newest residents have about the troubled neighborhood’s future seem intent upon once again displacing the city’s poorest citizens, many of whom are still grappling with Hurricane Katrina’s lingering aftermath. It’s an election year and condominium developers and the local king of gentrification have the favor of the City Council. It’s up to Detective Holland, despite his ‘talent’ for making a mess of things, to investigate something that isn’t a crime and avoid stirring the city’s treacherous political waters.

About the Author

H. Max Hiller’s restaurant hospitality career began with a cooking job on Bourbon Street at the age of seventeen. His resume now includes many of New Orleans’ iconic dining and music destinations. Max uses a lifetime of characters and anecdotes to add depth to his Detective Cooter Holland series. He now divides his time writing between his home overlooking the Mississippi River and working as a chef aboard a boat traveling America’s inland waterways.

The song 99 Red Balloons links unknown characters to each other in this story, it is a song that reminds them of certain people, and at certain times in their lives. The story alternates mainly between Maggie and Stephanie as well as an unknown voices from a child, a man and a woman. After a child is abducted, we are told of the events that occur after by Maggie and Stephanie. Missing person reports circulate in newspapers, on television and on the internet, it opens old wounds for one particular family.

This is a very well written story with some really good dialogue scenes, I could actually hear the voices as I read. The characters have been well developed and on the whole are memorable. I did get a little confused in the beginning with the “unknown voices” chapters, as I had no idea who they were and they caught me a little unawares. But as the author progressed with the story, it then becomes obvious to the reader, why these have been left nameless. This is a definite stories with in stories book, the author has done a really good job of keeping them separate until absolutely necessary, she kept me guessing throughout. These sub stories have given this book a really good depth and, it’s not until the author starts to pull the threads of the story together, do you then actually start to realise how deep and well thought out this story is. I had jumped to conclusions early on, and was completely wrong on most of my them. It is really nice to be blindsided as a reader, again it is down the ability of the author to lure you down one route of thought, when actually they have been distracting you.

This is a great start for this author on her debut novel, and this is an author I will be keeping an out for in the future. It is a book I would recommend to readers of a reasonably intense Thriller / Suspense genres. Even though there are aspects of kidnap involved, it has not been done in a shocking or over the top way. The author has focused her writing on that of the family left waiting for news. I would also recommend this to Reading Groups, there are many aspects of this story that would make for great group discussion points.

I would like to take this time to express my thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for my eARC of this book. My thoughts are my own and are honest and unbiased.

SYNOPSIS:

Two girls go missing, decades apart. What would you do if one was your daughter?

Eight-year-old Grace is last seen in a sweetshop. Her mother Emma is living a nightmare. But as her loved ones rally around her, cracks begin to emerge.

What are the emails sent between her husband and her sister? Why does her mother take so long to join the search? And is there more to the disappearance of her daughter than meets the eye?

Meanwhile, ageing widow Maggie Taylor sees a familiar face in the newspaper. A face that jolts her from the pain of her existence into a spiralling obsession with another girl – the first girl who disappeared…

This is a gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist that will take your breath away.

Like this:

I don’t think I have ever read a book in the style that this one has been written. The narrator of the story is Mr. Horowitz himself. To start, the reader is introduced to Diana Cowper, she is making plans for her own funeral, six hours later she is dead. Then I got a little confused, what I appeared to be reading was like a C.V of the achievements of the author, this however was the lead up to the main story.

So the main story concerns Horowitz and ex police officer Detective Hawthorne. He has approached Horowitz to write a true crime book for him, it will entail Horowitz shadowing Hawthorne as he is investigating a bizarre and intriguing murder. This is where the book shows its unique quirkiness. As the case unfolds everything is recorded by Horowitz, to be later used in the book. It is during this time that we get a glimpse into the mind of a writer doing research, he is given all he needs for the book by Hawthorne. Horowitz sees clues where there are none, and Horowitz effectively guides the reader through red herrings, just as he is in the book. Hawthorne has a tenacity through HIS investigation, he is a stickler for detail and therefore will allow not artistic license. Because of this everything is relevant and is not flowery or padded out.

I absolutely adored the character of Hawthorne. He is a loner, he is annoying, does not give any personal details away, he is a character I still know little about. But what he lacks in details is made up for by the way Horowitz has developed quite a complex character, giving away odd little traits and habits. Even though Hawthorne has his own hunches and ideas, we are never given any glimpse from this charcter as to who the culprit is. For Horowitz, hispart in the story, apart from telling of his past, present and future projects and the name dropping of films, shows, actors etc, was his ability to lay himself open to being wrong and the often barbed comments from Hawthorne, they happened often, and I do admit to sniggering a few times. Even when Horowitz thinks he has an idea, Hawthorne just blows holes in them and knocks them aside. Before I got to the actual unveiling of the murderer, I still had no idea who it was. It is left to Hawthorne to explain how, when and why everything happened the way it did, very much in the way Agatha Christie would have done in her books.

This is a blend of fact and fiction that has been warped and twisted into a very addictive read. It hooked me from the very beginning and did not let go, there are stories within stories, facts, details, characters, mis-direction and false leads throughout, but it is very well put together so that it all makes sense and flows well and at a very good pace. I have found this story to be so difficult to review because I really don’t want to give anything away, if you have read this book, then you will know exactly what I mean. If you have not read this book, then go get yourself a copy, right now.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my copy of this book. My thoughts are my own and are unbiased and honest.

ABOUT THE BOOK

SHE PLANNED HER OWN FUNERAL. BUT DID SHE ARRANGE HER MURDER? Buried secrets, murder and a trail of bloody clues lie at the heart of Anthony Horowitz’s page-turning new detective series. If you enjoyed BBC’s Sherlock, you’ll LOVE The Word is Murder!

“A very clever and inventive mystery” (Bookbag)
“A perfect detective novel in a unique style complete with an excellent twist!” (Life Has a Funny Way of Sneaking Up On You)
‘With its unorthodox protagonist, clever plotting, brilliantly imperfect characters, and escalating sense of urgency and intrigue, THE WORD IS MURDER is aninstant crime classic that will keep you reading as fast as you can… one of the best and most compulsively readable mysteries of the year. Hugely satisfying on every level.” (Written by Sime)

A wealthy woman strangled six hours after she’s arranged her own funeral.

A very private detective uncovering secrets but hiding his own.

A reluctant author drawn into a story he can’t control.

What do they have in common?

Unexpected death, an unsolved mystery and a trail of bloody clues lie at the heart of Anthony Horowitz’s page-turning new thriller.

SPREAD THE WORD. THE WORD IS MURDER.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anthony Horowitz is the author of the number one bestselling Alex Rider books and The Power of Five series. He has enjoyed huge success as a writer for both children and adults, most recently with the latest adventure in the Alex Rider series, Russian Roulette and the highly acclaimed Sherlock Holmes novel, The House of Silk. His latest novel, Moriarty, is also set in the world of Sherlock Holmes and was published in October 2014. Anthony was also chosen by the Ian Fleming estate to write the new James Bond novel which will be published next year. Anthony has won numerous awards, including the Bookseller Association/Nielsen Author of the Year Award, the Children’s Book of the Year Award at the British Book Awards, and the Red House Children’s Book Award. In 2014 Anthony was awarded an OBE for Services to Literature. He has also created and written many major television series, including Injustice, Collision and the award-winning Foyle’s War.

Like this:

The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse published by Lake Union Publishing due out 22nd August 2017.

MY THOUGHTS

This is the second book I have read by this author, and I can see why she is a very popular author. The story is basic in some ways, but what Amanda Prowse has created is a very thought provoking, empowering and emotional read. It is based around Nina and her two sons Connor and Declan, they live an affluent lifestyle, provided for by Finn, husband and father. Nothing can prepare Nina when Finn is killed in a car crash, but as if that was hard, then the aftermath that follows is even more heart-breaking. She will be taken back to her roots, but her roots are alien and unknown to her sons.

What unfolds is a comparison of lifestyles between “the have’s” and “the have-nots”, about futures that can be planned ahead for, and those that live day by day and week by week. It shows how Nina has to not only deal with the loss of her husband, but also the loss of everything she took for granted. The way Amanda has used the character of Tiggy, Nina’s older sister, is a very insightful way to give another dimension into the life of Nina. It shows how Nina has developed as a person over the years, from a confident child and teenager, into the meek and mild little woman of the house, then charting the hardship and adversity that is to follow. The trials that she then goes through helps empower Nina as she starts to find her feet as a single mum.

I liked the way Amanda has developed the characters of the two boys, from their lavish lifestyle and upbringing at an expensive private school, with a house and all the mod cons, their social lives and all that goes with it, to then have to deal with a life of complete contrast after the death of their father.

This book is an exploration into family dynamics that has been very well told, with a couple of “lump in my throat” moments. It is very thought-provoking and as I read the story, I couldn’t help thinking of how I would have coped. But then I do not have the lifestyle to lose, like Nina. It is all very well have money, houses and cars, but does this buy you happiness ? I think this is one of the points of the story, money does not by happiness. Also never forget your roots, never forget where you come from.

I would recommend this book to readers of General Fiction, Women’s Fiction and also to book reading groups for discussion. I think there are many topics raised in this book that would make some really interesting talking points.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Amanda Prowse for my copy of this book. My thoughts are my own, honest and unbiased.

Description

Nina McCarrick has it all: a loving husband, two beautiful boys, a well-appointed home and more time than she knows what to do with. Life is perfect. Until her husband, Finn, is killed in a car accident and everything Nina thought she could rely on unravels.

Alone, bereft and faced with a mountain of debt, Nina’s life of luxury quickly disappears and she begins to question whether she ever really knew the man she married. Forced to move out of her family home, Nina returns to the rundown Southampton council estate—and the sister—she thought she had left far behind.

But Nina can’t let herself be overwhelmed—her boys need her. To save them, and herself, she will have to do what her husband discouraged for so long: pursue a career of her own. Torn between the life she thought she knew and the reality she now faces, Nina finally must learn what it means to take control of her life.

Stirring and empowering, this novel from bestselling author Amanda Prowse once again plumbs the depths of human experience in this tale of one woman’s loss and love.

Product details

A Note From the Publisher

Amanda Prowse likens her own life story to those she writes about in her books. After self-publishing her debut novel, Poppy Day, in 2011, she has gone on to author sixteen novels and six novellas. Her books have been translated into a dozen languages and she regularly tops bestseller charts all over the world. Remaining true to her ethos, Amanda writes stories of ordinary women and their families who find their strength, courage and love tested in ways they never imagined. The most prolific female contemporary fiction writer in the UK, with a legion of loyal readers, she goes from strength to strength. Being crowned ‘queen of domestic drama’ by the Daily Mail was one of her finest moments. Amanda is a regular contributor on TV and radio but her first love is and will always be writing.

Like this:

The buried contents of a Nazi train. An aging SS murderer. And the wartime secrets of a US presidential candidate’s family, hidden for seven decades.

When war crimes investigator and ex-CIA officer Joe Johnson learns of a link between the contents of a Nazi train, stashed away by Hitler’s Third Reich in 1944, and the financing for a Republican hopeful’s 2012 campaign, he’s more than intrigued.

Can Johnson evade the high level intelligence and criminal networks combining against him across three continents, uncover the truth, and win justice?

MY THOUGHTS:

This is an action packed, fast paced, intriguing book of deception, deceit, conspiracy. It spans several continents and events that started in 1944 several decades later come to light in 2011.

The story begins with Daniel and Jacob Kudrow, they are prisoners of Gross-Rosen concentration camp. When the reader first meets them they are in a collapsed tunnel, but along with other prisoners and guards they are able to use side tunnels to get out. The tunnels are used for storage, several wooden crates have been stored there, it will take over 60 years for the contents to be revealed. Now in 2011 the reader is brought to the main characters. Joe Johnson, a widower with two children, he is of Polish decent. He teams up with Fiona Heppenstall a political journalist with “Inside Track”. They are both attending a campaign rally by David Kudrow. His brother Nathaniel has something to tell both Joe and Fiona, but they never find out what that actually was. With her journalistic interests piqued, Fiona cannot let go the feeling that something is amiss, she enrolls Joe in to help her find the story. They both have a background in war crimes, giving lectures and help bring down those involved in the atrocities. What they unearth with this investigation. There are secrets that have been hidden for decades, they will close certain chapters in the lives of some, bring some form justice to the lives of some and open the flood barriers in lives of others.

I really enjoyed this book. The thing that soon became obvious as I read, was the attention to detail. The historical aspect has been very well researched and executed, within a very action packed and fast paced story. There are certain things from the living conditions of prisoners in concentration camps that are not pleasant reading, and they shouldn’t be, and I felt the author used enough information to keep the story flowing. He has not got bogged down with too much historical information, instead he has found a good balance that is essential to a certain sub-plots of the story. The same balance has been found with the political aspects of the story as well, enough to be helpful but not overly done. I think what I am trying to say is that, there is a lot of sub plots within the main story, therefore a lot of detail, but at no point do you lose the rhythm or the main points of the story. All these aspects have been very well and cleverly intertwined to give the reader a great reading experience. It incorporates scandal, war crimes, Nazism, corruption and revenge. The characters have been very well-developed, they are strong and well described. I thought all the charcters mentioned were easily identifiable and memorable.

I would definitely recommend to readers who like action and adventure, thriller, crime and mystery genres.

As I read past the story I was really pleased to discover that this is the first in a series of books featuring Joe Johnson, and I for one cannot wait to read more. Thoroughly enjoyed this one, and can’t wait for the next, and the next, and the next!

I would like to take the opportunity to thank Andrew Turpin for a copy of this e-book. My review and thoughts about this book are honest and unbiased.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

It has taken Andrew more than five decades to finally get around to combining his love of writing and his passion for reading good thrillers – and get down to penning a first novel.

Now, that first book, The Last Nazi, is very near to being published, and he has a second, The Old Bridge, in the advanced stages of editing.

The themes behind these thrillers also pull together some of Andrew’s other interests, particularly history, world news, and travel, exploring the ways in which human behaviors deep into the past continue to impact on modern society, politics and business.

The Last Nazi draws strongly on these themes and is the first in a planned series of thrillers featuring the protagonist, Joe Johnson, an ex-CIA officer and former US Nazi hunter with the Office of Special Investigations. Johnson, a relentless seeker after truth and justice, has a passion for investigating unsolved war crimes in different parts of the world and is an occasional lecturer on the subject.

Andrew studied history at Loughborough University and worked for many years as a business and financial journalist before becoming a corporate and financial communications adviser with several large energy companies, specializing in media relations.

He originally came from Grantham, Lincolnshire, and lives with his family in St. Albans in Hertfordshire.

Like this:

MY THOUGHTS:

I really enjoyed this book, one of the reasons I like to read historical novels is in the hope that I can learn something new. This book ticked the box on that one, the research that Debbie Rix has done is obvious. She has explored the silk manufacture process from moth to cloth, there is not an overload of information, but has used her characters well to explain, as her characters learn things, then so does the reader. I found Debbie’s writing to be very readable and well set pace, there are a lot of stories within stories in this book, but they have been organised and well laid out so as not to confuse the reader at all. Also included in this are actual artists, designers and weavers there is a very handy section at the back that lists the fact and fiction characters as well a note about how Debbie weaves the two together.

This is a wonderful book written across two-time lines, 1704 and 20017. In 1704 we are introduced to Anastasia and her family from near Verona in Italy. In 2017 we meet Millie on a break with her sort of boyfriend Max.

Millie, a journalist, has been asked to write an article on the regeneration of Italy’s silk trade. She stays at the House of Cocoon, or Villa di Bozzolo, it has been part of the silk trade for many generations and has a deep history. The she meets owners Lorenzo and his sister Elena, they run the villa as a Bed and Breakfast guest house. Lorenzo provides her with much information for her article and is her contact for meeting various other people in the silk trade. She finds Lorenzo very easy to get along with, and has her questioning her life with Max, Lorenzo is her age, attractive and a widow.

Anastasia and her sister Mariette live under the iron rule of their father, their mother doesn’t have the strength to stand up to him so they all live under the threat of a beating from him. Anastasia has two loves, Marco and painting, both are things that her father will not allow, if he knew. He believes painting is not a thing a woman should do, he is of thought that they should be at home doing productive things.

As Millie discovers more about the history of silk manufacture process, Anastasia’s journey runs alongside with her journey into the world.

I would recommend this book to readers of historical fiction, womans fiction and romance. I wish to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for my copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

SYNOPSIS:

‘On the way back down the grand staircase to the hall, her eye was caught by a portrait, hanging in a particularly dark corner of a landing. It was of a young woman, seated at an easel; she was painting a silk moth, its eggs nestling on a mulberry leaf.’

1704: Anastasia is desperate to escape her controlling and volatile father and plans to marry in secret. But instead of the life she has dreamed of, she finds herself trapped in Venice, the unwilling wife of a silk weaver.

Despite her circumstances, Anastasia is determined to change her fate…

2017: Millie wants more from her relationship and more from her life. So when her boss Max abruptly ends their affair, she takes the opportunity to write a feature in Italy.

Staying in a gorgeous villa, Millie unexpectedly falls in love with the owner, Lorenzo. Together they begin to unravel an incredible story, threaded through generations of silk weavers.

And Millie finds herself compelled to discover the identity of a mysterious woman in a portrait…

Like this:

Sometimes you get a book that you really think you will love, it has mixed reviews, the title and synopsis do their job by providing enough to pull you in. Then you read the book. This one left me a little deflated, it was not because I didn’t enjoy it because on the whole I did enjoy it. But my confusion with this book is, the subject matter of the story is definitely aimed at adults, but the style of writing, I felt was more YA.

The plot of the story was very basic and disturbing, but due to the simplicity of the writing made it a quick read. The main characters were memorable and well written to a point, but the dialogue again had more of a YA feel, sweeping generalised statements rather than more in-depth that I expected. The descriptions for the Osage Flats did give a good general feel for the area, and I really liked the picture the author built up for me in my head.

The reason for feeling a little deflated were I think, due to the lack of detailed explanations for various questions that arose during and after reading the book, I feel more exploration of family Friends dynamics could have been expanded more, rather that generalised statements. The main idea or plot was given very early on and I did find myself working out the main culprit and reasons behind it quite quickly.

But all that being said, I did read the book very quickly, and did find it quite addictive. I think because of the simplicity of the writing it held my attention, as I did not have to think about what I was reading too much. If you take the adult theme out of the book, it would be ideal for YA readers. I am sure this will appeal to many readers who want a quick, shock read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

SYNOPSIS:

Vowing to discover the fate of her missing cousin, a woman returns to her family’s Kansas estate where she spent one haunting summer as a teen, and where she discovered the dark heart of the Roanoke clan that left her no choice but to run.

Lane Roanoke is fifteen when she comes to live with her maternal grandparents and fireball cousin, Allegra, at the Roanoke family estate in rural Osage Flats, Kansas, following the suicide of her mother. Lane knows little of her mother’s family, other than the fact that her mother ran away years before and cut off all contact with her parents. Allegra, abandoned by her own mother at birth and raised by her grandparents, introduces Lane to small-town life and the benefits of being one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But there is darkness at the heart of the Roanoke family, and when Lane discovers its insidious pull she has no choice but to run, as far and as fast as she can.

Eleven years later, Lane is scraping by in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls with the news that Allegra has gone missing. “Come home,” he beckons. Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to Osage Flats, determined to find her cousin and assuage her own guilt at having left Allegra behind all those years ago. Her return might mean a second chance with Cooper, the boyfriend whom she loved and destroyed that fateful summer. But it also means facing the terrible secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again.

As it weaves between the summer of Lane’s first arrival and the summer of her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.

Like this:

MY THOUGHTS:

This is the second book I have read by this author, the first being BLOWBACK a prequel that paves the way for the books that follow. Again we meet Detective “Cadillac” Holland and his team as they have a strange case to deal with.

In the first book Cadillac is called in to help clear up the back log of cases that mounted up after Katrina, and is still on loan and helping. He is called to a case of local rapper Biggie Charles Lynley. The suspect is still in the vehicle with Biggies body. It is an American Pit Bull, rather than have the dog shot Tulip Holland, Cadillac’s sister, asks that he not shoot the dog, as it could hold vital information to an investigation. Well Tulip was not wrong, Biggie is an ex-convict but on his release he managed to set up a music studio. Enquiries lead the team through the life of Biggie and the lives of others around him, it is very obvious that the team are not being told the whole truth.

This story is set 4 years after Hurricane Katrina and once again Hiller incorporates the devastation that she left in her wake into the story. He briefly explores issues in the poorer neighbourhoods and projects, mentioning how insurance companies fail to pay out on policies as well as those not being insured because of financial restraints. For me the inclusion of these details work very well in the main story, it gives something extra as they are peppered throughout, not overbearing but enough, they have been worked very well and not over-used. The main characters are now starting to make themselves known more, they are very memorable and have been well-developed.

There are various elements going on in this book, they expand on details mentioned in Blowback, such as the reason for Cadillac coming back home after his injury in Iraq, the disappearance of his father, the case itself and obviously Katrina. It would be easy to think that there could be some confusion, but there is not. Hiller has a very logical way of telling this story, it makes sense and has a very well laid out style to it. There is no big fan fare of a conclusion, instead it has simply, logically and naturally been brought to a very satisfying conclusion.

I would definitely recommend this book to readers of Crime, Mystery

I had not come across the word “Garou”, but don’t worry Hiller explains the term. But I did a little googling and found some rather interesting further reading.

I would like to express my thanks to the author for bringing this book to my attention, my review is my own and is unbiased and honest.

SYNOPSIS:

SILVER MEDAL WINNER 2016 GLOBAL E-BOOK AWARDS.
Detective ‘Cadillac’ Holland left the intelligence community and joined the Louisiana State Patrol to find the answer to his father’s disappearance in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Four years have passed and he hasn’t found the answer. Now his sister wants him to prove that a pit bull is the murder weapon and not the murderer of New Orleans’ most notorious criminal. The dog’s tracks lead to the murder victim’s young son, angry fiancée, and shady bodyguard. The investigation ultimately turns up Federal investigations into a rap music label and a cache of missing firearms, a dog fighting ring, the blackmailing of a famous actress, and exposes far more things about Cadillac’s background than William Avery, NOPD’s Chief of Detectives, ever wanted to know when he assigned the Detective to find a solution to the case which would “reach a conclusion in line with everyone’s perception of justice”.

BOOK DETAILS:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

My relationship with New Orleans began with a job cooking in a cafe on Bourbon Street at the age of seventeen. My food service resume now includes many of New Orleans’ iconic music and dining destinations. I no longer reside in New Orleans full-time but I keep to the expat creed of “Be a New Orleanian wherever you are.”
A devoted reader of detective and crime novels, I have worked as a chef on a boat traveling the inland waterways since Hurricane Katrina and began thinking up stories about a detective living in post-Katrina New Orleans, which I now write in my spare time.
My life is divided between working on the water and preserving a Victorian-era home in Hannibal, Missouri that I share with my wife and our rescue pets, which include a neurotic wolfhound/terrier mix and too many cats.

Like this:

MY THOUGHTS:

Based in Beartown.
Well this turned out to be a very surprising read based on how it started. There were a lot of characters, that at times left me feeling bombarded with a barrage of names, best friends names, their parents, parents careers, other adults and their positions, as well as other school friends. There was also a lot of narrative for the main characters, the groups they associated with, the town and it’s obsession with Ice-Hockey and the up coming semi-final match.

Then suddenly from out of nowhere, this book that I was struggling with, had me hooked. Because I had persevered with it initially, I then found I had a better understanding of the characters and their actions and reactions after “The Scandal” took place. Without this background, the story would just be a story about a town that plays ice hockey. But instead it is a whole lot more.

To summarise the story without giving anything away: The town lives and breathes for ice hockey, the pressure from sponsors, parents and supporters for the teenage boys ice hockey team to win is immense. The town is gradually dwindling, ice hockey is the one thing that gives them hope for future prospects. After an event occurs the town is in uproar, how dare anyone put their family before ice hockey! But the actions of a few individuals soon divides opinion and true colours are shown. The popularity of the best players and their parents is based on hockey, and because of this some people will always put hockey first. But others realise that their family and friends are the important things in life, they give the support and loyalty that will serve you well later in life.

As I said at the beginning, this book contains a lot of detail and narrative, but builds up some brilliant characters that are well-developed, especially once you get your head around them, as there are a lot. The narrative gives some great detail into the thoughts, ideas, dreams and hopes of the residents of Beartown.

I would recommend this book to readers of contemporary fiction, mystery, sports fiction. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

SYNOPSIS

Beartown is a small town in a large Swedish forest.

For most of the year it is under a thick blanket of snow, experiencing the kind of cold and dark that brings people closer together – or pulls them apart.

Its isolation means that Beartown has been slowly shrinking with each passing year. But now the town is on the verge of an astonishing revival. Everyone can feel the excitement. Change is in the air and a bright new future is just around the corner.

Until the day it is all put in jeopardy by a single, brutal act. It divides the town into those who think it should be hushed up and forgotten, and those who’ll risk the future to see justice done. At last, it falls to one young man to find the courage to speak the truth that it seems no one else wants to hear.

With the town’s future at stake, no one can stand by or stay silent. Everyone is on one side or the other.